Is Israel spying on US? Espionage among allies has precedent

Deutsche Welle · 🇩🇪 public Germany · Jun 09, 2026 · 834 words · By Jan D Walter

Geopolitical Pressure and Diplomacy US-Israel Intelligence Relations Espionage among Strategic Allies

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What to know about Geopolitical Pressure and Diplomacy

Espionage among allies has precedent June 9, 2026Several media outlets report that an anonymous source from the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) leaked internal information indicating that the Pentagon has elevated Israel to the highest category of…

Claims checked 16

Techniques found 1

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center100%

Right0%

3 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

The change was reportedly made because Israel has significantly expanded intelligence activities against the United States.

Common ground

The US government has denied the reports; Israel has called them "completely false." The reports are causing a stir in Washington, where Israel remains one of the closest partners for the United States, highlighting a decades-old issue: mutual distrust…

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Geopolitical Pressure and Diplomacy story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that In 2023, leaked Pentagon documents suggested that US intelligence agencies had monitored internal talks held by the South Korean government?
How does this story connect Geopolitical Pressure and Diplomacy with US-Israel Intelligence Relations over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.dw.com/en/is-israel-spying-on-us-espionage-among-allies-has-preceden…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 70% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 16 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 6

info Single Source 6

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verified Verified By Reference 2

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Claim 1: “In 2023, leaked Pentagon documents suggested that US intelligence agencies had monitored internal talks held by the South Korean government.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 2: “Both sides denied this and jointly announced that the documents were largely forged”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 3: “The US government has denied the reports; Israel has called them "completely false."”

SINGLE SOURCE

The denials by the US and Israel are reported by Deutsche Welle, but are not corroborated by other independent sources in the provided evidence.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Since 28 February 2026, the United States and Israel have been at war with Iran and its regional allies. Hostilities broke out after US–Israeli airstrikes killed several Iranian officials, including …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Iran_war

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Military relations between Israel and the United States have been extremely close, reflecting shared security interests in the Middle East. Israel is designated as a major non-NATO ally by the U.S. go…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel–United_States_military_…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Since the 1960s, the relationship between Israel and the United States has grown into a close alliance in economic, strategic and military aspects. The U.S. has provided strong support for Israel; it …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel–United_States_relations

+ 2 more evidence sources

info

Claim 4: “it became known that the German foreign intelligence service, the BND, had also been spying on allied countries, governments and institutions for decades.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The claim that the BND spied on allies for decades is only reported by Deutsche Welle in the provided evidence.

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cross reference SUPPORTS — it became known that the German foreign intelligence service, the BND, had also been spying on allied countries, governments and institutions for decades.
https://www.dw.com/en/is-israel-spying-on-us-espionage-among…

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cross reference SUPPORTS — it became known that the German foreign intelligence service, the BND, had also been spying on allied countries, governments and institutions for decades
https://www.dw.com/en/is-israel-spying-on-us-espionage-among…

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Claim 5: “In Germany, the news brings to mind a remark made by then Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2013 after it became known that the US National Security Agency (NSA) had been monitoring her cellphone”

CORROBORATED

The event of the NSA monitoring Angela Merkel's phone in 2013 is a well-documented historical fact reported by Deutsche Welle and supported by the context of the provided search results.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is a component of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) responsible for cybersecurity and information technology infrastru…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cybersecurity_and_Infrastructu…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The director of the National Security Agency (DIRNSA) is the highest-ranking official of the National Security Agency, which is a defense agency within the U.S. Department of Defense. The director of …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Director_of_the_National_Secur…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The National Security Agency (NSA) is an intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense, under the authority of the director of national intelligence (DNI). The NSA is responsible for …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Security_Agency

+ 4 more evidence sources

info

Claim 6: “When Pollard was allowed to leave for Israel in 2020, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally greeted him at the airport.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The detail about Benjamin Netanyahu greeting Pollard at the airport in 2020 is only reported by Deutsche Welle in the provided evidence.

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cross reference SUPPORTS — When Pollard was allowed to leave for Israel in 2020, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally greeted him at the airport
https://www.dw.com/en/is-israel-spying-on-us-espionage-among…

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cross reference SUPPORTS — When Pollard was allowed to leave for Israel in 2020, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally greeted him at the airport.
https://www.dw.com/en/is-israel-spying-on-us-espionage-among…

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Claim 7: “Probably the most prominent case of Israeli espionage in the United States to date is that of Jonathan Pollard in 1987. Working as a US Navy intelligence analyst, Pollard passed information to Israeli handlers”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia explicitly confirms that Jonathan Pollard was an American-born Israeli spy and former intelligence analyst who sold state secrets to Israel.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jonathan Jay Pollard (Hebrew: יונתן פולארד, romanized: Yonatan Polard, born August 7, 1954) is an American-born Israeli spy and former intelligence analyst who was jailed for spying for Israel. In 198…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Pollard

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Wolf Isaac Blitzer (born March 22, 1948) is an American journalist, television news anchor, and author who has been a CNN reporter since 1990, and who currently serves as one of the principal anchors …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf_Blitzer

+ 2 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 8: “according to The Times of Israel, [Pollard] received tens of thousands of US dollars in return.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and web search results confirm Pollard received a salary and 'tens of thousands of dollars in cash disbursements'.

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+ 4 more evidence sources

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Claim 9: “The documents also revealed... that the US was also spying on its allies. Those affected included then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel as well as French Presidents Jacques Chirac, Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 10: “Several media outlets report that an anonymous source from the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) leaked internal information indicating that the Pentagon has elevated Israel to the highest category of counterintelligence threat.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The claim is reported by Deutsche Welle, but no other independent news organization or authoritative source in the provided evidence corroborates the specific leak from the DIA regarding the 'highest category of counterintelligence threat'.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Pentagon pizza theory is the informal observation that spikes in fast food orders, particularly pizza delivery orders, near US government buildings such as The Pentagon, CIA headquarters, and the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentagon_pizza_theory

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Israeli espionage in the United States refers to clandestine intelligence-gathering and operations conducted by or on behalf of the State of Israel within the territory of the United States and/or aga…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_espionage_in_the_Unite…

+ 4 more evidence sources

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Claim 11: “After his confession, he was sentenced to life in prison in the US.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The specific detail of being sentenced to 'life' is reported by Deutsche Welle; while Wikipedia confirms he was jailed, the specific sentence length is not explicitly detailed in the provided Wikipedia snippet, though corroborated by the DW source.

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cross reference SUPPORTS — he was sentenced to life in prison in the US
https://www.dw.com/en/is-israel-spying-on-us-espionage-among…

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cross reference SUPPORTS — he was sentenced to life in prison in the US.
https://www.dw.com/en/is-israel-spying-on-us-espionage-among…

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Claim 12: “In 2004, it became known that Lawrence Franklin, a political analyst at the US Department of Defense, had passed on confidential information about US policy toward Iran to Israel via the influential pro-Israel lobbying organization AIPAC.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The claim regarding Lawrence Franklin and AIPAC in 2004 is only reported by Deutsche Welle in the provided evidence.

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cross reference SUPPORTS — In 2004, it became known that Lawrence Franklin, a political analyst at the US Department of Defense, had passed on confidential information about US policy toward Iran to Israel via the influential p…
https://www.dw.com/en/is-israel-spying-on-us-espionage-among…

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Claim 13: “he was released from prison in 2015 under certain conditions.”

CORROBORATED

Both Deutsche Welle and Al Jazeera independently report that Pollard was released from prison/parole in 2015.

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cross reference SUPPORTS — he was released from prison in 2015 under certain conditions
https://www.dw.com/en/is-israel-spying-on-us-espionage-among…

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cross reference SUPPORTS — he was released from prison in 2015 under certain conditions.
https://www.dw.com/en/is-israel-spying-on-us-espionage-among…

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cross reference SUPPORTS — He [Jonathan Pollard] later pleaded guilty to espionage and served 30 years in prison before being released on parole in 2015
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/7/why-has-the-pentagon…

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Claim 14: “Israel may indeed have crossed a red line by monitoring high-ranking government officials including US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and several officials from the US Department of Defense who are familiar with US negotiations with Iran.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 15: “Franklin was nevertheless convicted of espionage.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 16: “the British daily newspaper The Guardian mentioned in passing that, according to one of the documents leaked by whistleblower Edward Snowden, an "NIE [National Intelligence Estimate] ranked them as the third-most aggressive intelligence service against the US."”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.